The Change
by RageSugar
Summary: Waking up with a massive headache never made anyone feel like they were going to have a good day, right now for her she knew that her day was only going to get worse. How did she know? Well for starters, she had been kidnapped.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N**: Excuse the grammatical and spelling errors. If something is terribly wrong with a sentence, simply send me a note/message and I will try and resolve the issue.

All characters from the series Inuyasha are © their respected owners.

Do not repost this fanfiction.

I also greatly appreciate reviews!

**Important Note**: This is a completely new take on my very old fanfiction of the same name. As such there are going to be some major differences from the original version.

* * *

**▌Chapter One**

Kagome's head was pounding as though something was trying to burst out of her skull. The aching pressure made her keep her eyes closed tightly since she expected opening them would only make the pain worse. Kagome's thoughts were floating aimlessly and it was hard to focus on any one single thought. It took a few minutes for the pain to subside enough for her mind to suddenly jolt with the memory of what had actually caused this terrible headache.

Kagome had been walking home when a car stopped next to the curb. The next moment she had been grabbed and a chloroform soaked handkerchief was held against her nose and mouth. Within seconds her vision had begun to blur and everything sounded muffled.

With a soft groan, Kagome slowly opened her eyes to see a dimly lit room. Her eyes throbbed as she tried to focus on a single spot. Her vision was still slightly blurry but she could make out the corners of the small room. She was resting on a tiny cot that a person could get from any camping store. Kagome gently moved her head so she could see the rest of the room. There were no windows and there was metal door with a slot that appeared to slide open from the other side.

Kagome body felt heavy and sluggish which caused her to struggle to sit up on the cot. She wasn't in her school uniform anymore. Someone had changed her into a plain white hospital gown. Thankfully she still had her undergarments on but the idea of someone removing her clothes while she was knocked out caused a shudder to course through her body.

It took a few more moments before Kagome dared to get on her feet. The moment her bare feet touched the cold floor she pushed herself up and staggered into one of the walls. As her hands rested against the wall, she could feel the familiar texture of concrete. Kagome used to wall to help keep her balance as she made her way over to the ominous metal door.

Kagome would probably later think back on this moment and think this was a moronic move, but in her current condition she didn't have the energy to contemplate on her predicament. She slammed her hand against the door a few times trying to get attention, though the obvious fault with this plan is that person would be the one who probably placed her in this room. After a few more hit against the door, Kagome reached for the handle only to find there was no handle on her side of the door.

Right as she went to slam her fist into the door again, the slot slid open and a pair of eyes stared at her. She cautiously backed away from her door using her now aching hands against the wall to stay upright.

"Hm, you're already awake," the man muttered from the other side.

There was the sound of jingling keys then before the door slid open smoothly without any sort of creepy creak or metal clang sound. Light spilled into the room causing Kagome to squint from the pain her of her eyes trying to adjust.

The man hadn't been alone on the other side. There were two others standing next to him effectively blocking any escape. They entered the room and grabbed Kagome's arms. Kagome struggled but her body was still so weak they had no problem dragging her out of the room.

Kagome had to close her eyes tightly from the bright lights in the white painted hallway. By the time she could open her eyes without a sharp stinging pain, she was standing before a large cell with thick metal bars. There were a few other girls already inside who were looking at Kagome with wide eyes.

The cell door was unlocked and Kagome was shoved inside roughly. The door slammed closed loudly behind her and the men went back down the white corridor. Kagome sat up and looked around at the other girls.

"Where am I?" she asked.

There wasn't any immediate reply to her question, though from their expressions she assumed they knew about as much as she did. She knew she wouldn't be able to escape this situation herself. Right now her only hope was that Inuyasha could track her scent up to the point of when she was taken, and then hopefully track the car. With the air pollution of the city though, the chances of the half-demon finding her were probably very low.

The girls remained where they were, though their wide eyes continued to stare at her. Kagome managed to get up on her knees and turned to look at the cell door she had just tossed through. The bars weren't wide enough to allow a person to slip through sideways. Beyond the cell Kagome saw what appeared to be a bright white laboratory setup. There were numerous strange scientific appearing equipment in what seemed to be in a large warehouse. There was a lone man wearing a lab coat facing away from her as he stared into a microscope.

Kagome looked back over at the girls in the cell with her. They hadn't been staring at her but at the mysterious man. She carefully crawled over the group in the corner which drew their attention from the man to her.

"What is this place?" she asked.

The girls exchanged looks with each other as though they were unsure of the answer themselves. A girl behind Kagome spoke up first.

"Probably some illegal research laboratory. That guy over there hasn't even looked over at us, but more and more of us are being brought in here."

The girl had dark hair and eyes and appeared to have not slept for days. There were dark circle under her eyes and her voice sounded weak. Kagome looked back over to the lab before moving to sit next to the girl who had spoken.

"What's your name?" Kagome asked quietly.

"Chiyo. I was one of the first brought here. We've all been here for days just watching that weird guy work over there."

"What about those three guys that brought me here?"

"They're the ones that grabbed most of us, I think. They don't ever work with the lab stuff over there," Chiyo replied.

Their conversation was ended quickly as the three men they had just been speaking of appeared and were opening the cell door. The girls all moved as far back from the front of the cell as possible. The two men who had dragged Kagome out of the room earlier were now grabbing Chiyo roughly and pulling her out of the cell. Kagome tried to grab hold of her but in her weakened state her attempt was futile.

The girls had been screaming in fear and Chiyo tried her best to break free. The shouting soon gave way to woeful whispering as Chiyo was dragged over to the lab. She was held up and the man working the lab equipment stopped to speak to her. Kagome couldn't make out what he was saying, but he looked happy as he spoke to Chiyo. Chiyo's expression on the other hand was one of absolute terror.

They dragged Chiyo over to a large glass tube that was at a 45° angle. The front of the tube slid open soundlessly and they shoved Chiyo roughly into the chair within the tube. Chiyo was strapped down onto the chair. The man wearing the lab coat was holding a syringe with a strange black liquid. He injected the syringe's contents into the side of Chiyo's neck making her cry out. The man smiled at Chiyo before patting her on the head and stepping back to allow the tube to be sealed shut.

Inside the tube Kagome could see Chiyo screaming, but Kagome couldn't hear a single thing. The man pressed a button on the side of the tube and it began to fill with a thick white smoke. All the girls watched in horror wondering if this would also be their fate, to be living human experiments for a mad man.

After a few minutes elapsed, the smoke was sucked out of the tube exposing an unconscious Chiyo. Chiyo's appearance had slightly changed. Her hair was no longer dark, but a bright blonde. Kagome was too far away to notice if there had been any other changes.

The tube was unsealed and Chiyo was removed and thrown over the shoulder of one of the men. Kagome had thought they would have walked past the cell with Chiyo or maybe would put Chiyo back in the cell with the rest of them. Instead they went the opposite direction and entered a different door that was farthest from the holding cell.

Kagome took a deep and shuddering breath. She needed to find a way out of this place and fast in order to save Chiyo and the other girls here.

* * *

Thanks for reading! Please look forward to more updates!


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N**: Excuse the grammatical and spelling errors. If something is terribly wrong with a sentence, simply send me a note/message and I will try and resolve the issue.

All characters from the series Inuyasha are © their respected owners.

Do not repost this fanfiction.

I also greatly appreciate reviews!

**Important Note**: This is a completely new take on my very old fanfiction of the same name. As such there are going to be some major differences from the original version.

The time period for this takes place after Naraku has perished as though from the original series, not from the Final Act.

* * *

▌**Chapter Two**

It had been days since Kagome has been captured and locked away in this mysterious warehouse. Since her arrival there had been no more girls brought in to the cell. Instead one girl a day was taken and roughly put inside the glass tube and they were forced to watch each and every time.

There had been ten girls, including Kagome. Now there were only five left in the cell. Kagome was never given any answers each time she questioned the men who removed the girls from their cage. She had thought that whatever they had done to knock her out would have worn off, but she quickly learned they had been drugging the food with kept them all weak.

Kagome had refused to eat after the third day in hopes that the drugs would have worn off so she could have enough strength to escape. When they had come for a girl called Ami, Kagome had managed to kick one of the men in the groin as hard as she could. Ami had tried to help and bit the arm that was restraining her.

Kagome had gone to pull Ami out of the cell with her, but with Ami still weak from the drugs she was staggering terribly. It wasn't long before the three men grabbed them both. Kagome was shoved back into the cell while poor Ami was thrown into the tube.

This little incident earned Kagome shackle restraints on her legs so that even walking was a difficult task. They had also been ordered to stop drugging her food since she refused to eat anything they offered. The man that worked at the lab was apparently concerned she would be too weak to survive the process if she was malnourished.

Kagome did eat the clean food offered since she would need to eat to maintain the energy that would be needed for her next attempt. She didn't think they would remove the shackles until it was her turn. She had tried today to take Makoto's place but they had simply laughed her off saying that she would have to watch them all go before herself.

As each day passed and another girl was spirited away, Kagome grew more and more panicked. She had tried picking the lock only to get a thorough electrical shock from the attempt. The bars didn't have electricity running through them but the damn lock did. She had tried to feign sickness which only earned her a horrible trip back into the small room when she had first arrived. After they can confirmed she wasn't actually ill, they simply threw her back in the cell again.

It was frustrating being caged and unable to help the others or even herself. She had no weapons, she hadn't had a shower in over a week, and she wanted to scream at the top of her lungs. She maintained a strong façade in hopes of keeping the other girls calm, but inside Kagome was absolutely terrified.

Leave it to human beings to horrify Kagome when normal demons couldn't even do that anymore. Had she spent so much time in the past that she had forgotten the horrors of the present?

When Kagome was left all alone on the ninth day she decided to try once more to escape. She had been practicing at night to walk with the leg restraints. While it caused her to move awkwardly she could keep her balance. She was going to fight as hard as she could to survive this.

The tenth day, when they came for her, she wasted no time. She had pretended to still be sleeping when they opened the cell door. When they were close enough, she kicked her legs out into one of the men and grabbed and pulled the ankles over the other. This caused the men to lose their balance and stumble away from her. The third man went to grab her, but she rolled away from him.

She quickly hopped up onto her feet and managed to hobble over to the cell door. She just needed to close the door on them and then she would only have to deal with the man who worked the lab equipment.

Her heart was pounding and the seconds felt like minutes as she began to push the heavy door closed. However, the three men had already recovered and were pushing the door open. While Kagome had grown in strength since being thrown back in time, she wasn't a match for three grown men who obviously worked out.

Kagome fell backwards onto her bottom and she tried to scramble away from them. They grabbed her flailing arms and legs and lifted her. She screamed at them, cussed, spit and even tried to bite them. All her efforts proved fruitless and soon she was being restrained within the feared glass tube.

They removed the shackles from her legs the moment they were secured within the tube. One of the men slapped her so hard that the world seemed to go silent for a moment.

"Ya should've let us grab another girl. This one is a pain in the ass, boss. Ya sure ya wanna user her?"

"Oh yes, I am very sure. We need diversity in our subjects in order to please him. If she displeases him, he will deal with her how he wishes too. We promised ten subjects and we shall deliver them on time. Now them, be a good girl and hold still while I inject this syringe into your neck, if you struggle you may unnecessarily injure yourself."

Kagome glared at the friendly face of the scientist, if that is what you could call this madman. Now that she saw him up close, he looked much older than she had initially thought. He appeared to be in his late forties with greying hair, a few wrinkles, and glasses. If he hadn't been about to use her for his twisted experiment she would have thought he looked like a kind man.

He inserted the needle into her neck as though he had done it so many times it was a perfected muscle memory. As the black agent within the syringe entered into her system, the point of origin of the injection burned terribly as though she had boiling water seeping through her veins.

Her eyes watered and a small whimpered escaped from her throat, but she didn't look away from the man who was still smiling gently at her. She bit the inside of her cheeks as she fought against the spreading pain. He gave her a small pat on her head, just like he had done with every other girl that had gone through this process.

He stepped away from her and then pushed the button the seal the tube. When the other girls had been placed into the tube it had been filled with a white smoke. The smoke that was now filling the tube was pitch black and smelt terrible.

Kagome tried to hold her breath for as long as she could to avoid inhaling the smoke. However with the pain increasing throughout her entire body and her need for air, she gasped and swallowed a lungful of the smoke.

"Ya change the formula for this one or somethin'?"

"Her DNA sample came back with wonderful results compared to the others. She should be able to survive the potency of the DYNA-1 formula."

Kagome coughed violently as each breath brought nothing but the foul tasting and smelling smoke into her lungs. Her vision was blurring around the edges and she could no longer focus on their conversation. Her last thoughts were that she was going to remember the man who did this to her before losing consciousness.

* * *

Thanks for reading! Please look forward to more updates!

**Please vote on my poll in my profile before it closes! ( **Poll Question: How often would you like a story to be updated? **)**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N**: Excuse the grammatical and spelling errors. If something is terribly wrong with a sentence, simply send me a note/message and I will try and resolve the issue.

All characters from the series Inuyasha are © their respected owners.

Do not repost this fanfiction.

I also greatly appreciate reviews!

**Important Note**: This is a completely new take on my very old fanfiction of the same name. As such there are going to be some major differences from the original version.

* * *

▌**Chapter Three**

When Kagome awoke she felt strange. At first she struggled to remember why she wasn't waking up at home in her own bed. She was in a small white room on a soft bed made of some sort of memory foam. She was wearing a white hospital gown and she could hear the sound of a television set in the distance.

Upon further inspection the small room appeared to be a part of an actual hospital. The door was open and she could see nurses walking past her room going about their business.

In that moment Kagome's brain jumped alive and she recalled she had been shoved into the tube. She sat up suddenly out of fear she was still captured only to suffer from a moment of extreme dizziness. As she raised her hand to her face, she realized there was something she was holding. As she opened her eyes and looked, it was a nurse call button.

Why would they have given her this? She also wasn't restrained like she had been previously. Kagome pressed the button in her hand and stared at the door anxiously. Within a few seconds a nurse came rushing into her room looking flabberghasted.

"Y-You're awake! Oh goodness girl we've all been worried you wouldn't regain consciousness."

"Where am I?"

Kagome's voice was soft and her throat felt extremely dry. Any attempted to moisten her mouth and throat was met with failure.

"Shh, sweetie. You're in the hospital. I'm not permitted to explain the situation. Let me get you some water and then I'll grab the doctor so he can come see you."

"How.. how long have I been in the hospital?" Kagome asked right before the nurse left her field of vision.

"You've been here for around five days now. I'll be back in a moment with some water for you."

With that statement the nurse left Kagome alone in the room. Her eyes wandered the strange surroundings as though to try to find some little clue as to if this was a dream. The clock on the wall ticked seconds away loudly, abnormally loudly. Kagome shrugged off the increase in sound as something to do with being unconscious for so long. Her senses were simply in overdrive from the stress of what her body had gone through and was probably still on alert.

It took the nurse a few minutes to return with the a paper cup and a large pitcher of ice water. She set it down on a small tray on wheels that could hover over Kagome's lap so she would have easy access to the beverage. The nurse raised the bed so Kagome was now sitting up comfortably.

Kagome eagerly drank the water which caused the nurse to warn her about drinking too much too fast. As the nurse checked Kagome's IV a doctor entered the room and closed the door behind him.

"Ah, Miss Higurashi, glad to see you're awake. How are you feeling?"

"Weird. How did I get to the hospital?"

"Unfortunately we are not permitted to comment on the matter as it is under investigation. The officials involved will come to see you once I verify that you are healthy enough to speak with them. Are you experiencing any sort of numbness, tingling, pins and needles or any odd sensations?"

Kagome experimentally wiggled her toes and fingers and even stretched her limbs within the allowed space of the bed. She shook her head to indicate she didn't feel anything he had mentioned.

This checkup when on for about an hour as the doctor asked various questions about how she felt. Kagome found this strange since it seemed like the doctor was simply asking to see if there was actually anything wrong because he didn't know if she was sick or injured.

The nurse assisted the doctor in checking her vitals as well as taking some blood samples. After jotting down a final few notes she smiled at Kagome gently. The nurse excused herself and left the room so that only Kagome and the doctor remained.

"Now then, before I leave you I would like to ask you if you are comfortable enough to speak to those officials I mentioned before. Usually these types are hard pressed to get the information as quickly as possible without much consideration towards the patient. While physically you appear fine, what you suffered through could understandably have harmed you emotionally. If you want to delay the meeting I will do so. I would also suggest you consider speaking with an attorney before speaking to them so that you have some legal back up if they want to pressure you beyond your limitations."

"I just want to see my family right now. Can I see them? Do they know I'm here?"

The doctor nodded and informed her that the moment she had awoken her family has been informed. They had been taking shifts in staying at the hospital so that someone would be here for her when she finally did wake up. Her brother was at home with their grandfather, so her mother was pacing outside the door.

Kagome's face faltered for a moment since she somehow knew it was her mother pacing at the door. For all she could have known it could have been one of those officials wanting to speak to her. Yet somehow she knew it was her mother because she could smell her mother's familiar perfume.

"Are you alright?"

"Y-Yes, I'm fine. Reality is just sort of setting in," Kagome half-lied.

"Very well. Oh, my manners are terrible. My name is Dr. Fujitaka. If you need anything, just call the nurse and she will assist you and may notify me if you need me urgently."

Dr. Fujikata left the room then and spoke to Kagome's mother before permitting her inside to see her daughter. Her mother wasted no time rushing to give Kagome a tight hug. Though she quickly released Kagome and apologized since she thought she might have hurt her. Kagome didn't even feel the usual crushing weight one would expect from such a hug.

"Oh Kagome! I was so worried. Are you alright? What happened? Those idiotic police officers wouldn't tell me a single thing! We had to fight to even see you when we found out you were brought to the hospital."

"Mom, I was so scared!" Kagome couldn't help but break down in her mother's arms. The moment her mother had hugged her, she couldn't stop her emotions from spilling out. It had been nine days of panic and fear. Nine days of watching girls being shoved into a glass tube one by one only to not return.

Kagome's mother rocked her gently and whispered reassuring words into her ears. Even though Kagome had apparently been asleep for five days, she fell nearly fell asleep crying in her mother's arms.

There was a knock at the door before a tan skinned man entered. He was wearing a dark grey business suit with a black shirt and stark white tie. He bowed politely to them both before approaching.

"I see your daughter is awake Mrs. Higurashi. How is she feeling?"

"I'm fine," Kagome replied warily.

"You don't need to be so formal Akio. Kagome, this is Akio Sasaki. He's the lawyer that helped us be allowed to see you while you were unconscious."

Kagome slightly bowed her head at the man.

"Fumiko, they aren't going to wait very long after hearing the news that Kagome is awake now. Dr. Fujikata says he can delay them with a psychological evaluation for her. It won't help much since they are arguing that the sooner she in questioned the more quickly they can attend to the case for the other missing girls."

"I don't want to delay," Kagome said suddenly.

"If delaying means that those girl have to continue to endure that hell, then I don't want to do that."

Akio looked towards Kagome's mother questioningly. Fumiko nodded and whatever unspoken question had been answered.

"Very well. However, I will ensure they play by our rules. Kagome, if you feel tired or sick don't hesitate to tell them so. If they attempt to use any leading questions I will interrupt them, so forgive me if I seem a bit rude, it's a part of the legal game you could say. Do not sign any statements they've prepared until everyone in this room has read them over."

He went over a few more details and it was a flurry of information. During this time she knew three officials were waiting outside the room whispering lowly to each other. They were going over the names of the girls that were still missing and believed to be involved in the mass disappearances.

Akio went to the door and ushered the officials in. Kagome's mother remained where she was and Akio went to stand next to her. The three officials stood opposite of them with severe expressions. They each wore a dark suit in shades of grey or brown.

"Greetings. I am Takahashi and these other two gentlemen are Sato and Watanabe. Sato is a lawyer representing the warehouse's owner. Watanabe and myself are with the Criminal Investigation Bureau. We have questions about your experience in the warehouse so that we can hopefully gain some better insight so we may recover the other missing girls."

"Why is a lawyer for the warehouse owner present?" Akio asked.

"I'm here because the owner has an interest in assisting with the investigation using resources that are available to him. Miss Higurashi is the only girl recovered thus far and he is bothered that such events occurred in a warehouse he owned," Sato replied with what appeared to be practiced sympathy.

"Very well then. Gentlemen, please keep in mind my client has endured quite a bit so please understand if this must be cut short."

The three officials nodded before each one of them took out a pad of paper to take notes and a recorder for the questioning. Sato moved to lean against the wall casually while the others remained standing rigidly.

"Then we shall begin. Miss Higurashi, would be please explain in detail the events from the time you left school till you awoke here in the hospital."

* * *

Thanks for reading! Please look forward to more updates!

**Please vote on my poll in my profile before it closes! ( **Poll Question: How often would you like a story to be updated? **)**

What do you think so far? Please leave a review.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N**: Excuse the grammatical and spelling errors. If something is terribly wrong with a sentence, simply send me a note/message and I will try and resolve the issue.

All characters from the series Inuyasha are © their respected owners.

Do not repost this fanfiction.

I also greatly appreciate reviews!

**Important Note**: This is a completely new take on my very old fanfiction of the same name. As such there are going to be some major differences from the original version.

* * *

▌**Chapter Four**

Kagome wasn't sure how long the interview was. They asked many questions more than once to see if there were any gaps in her story. Akio intervened a few times as Watanabe grew aggressive a few times with Kagome over how she explained her escape attempts.

"So, you don't know where the girls were taken once they had been removed from this tube?" Takahashi asked.

"I only ever saw the door they took them through at a distance. Once it was my turn, I was more focused on trying to get away than what awaited me beyond that door."

Both the CIB agents looked disappointed at the lack of information but they thanked Kagome anyway. They both handed their cards to Fumiko and Akio before bowing and leaving. Sato did the same, but not before studying Kagome intently for a moment.

Akio informed Kagome that the agent would probably seek her out a few more times just to go over the information again. He said that he would help her prepare an official statement since he expected that once the media caught wind of the situation they were going to hound Kagome and her family till the next horrible incident lured them away.

Kagome was released from the hospital two days later. They couldn't find anything physically wrong with her and she actually seemed to be getting healthier instead of sicker as they had expected after being exposed to unknown chemicals. Whatever had been injected into her body apparently had done nothing to her.

Her hair was still black, her eyes were still brown, but she had very sensitive senses. The doctor has assured her that it would eventually dull after she grew more relaxed and that it was caused by nothing by her anxiety over the ordeal she went through.

When she came home her mother had cooked a feast. Her friends had come to see her since they hadn't been permitted to visit her in the hospital. Kagome was relieved to be home and have things return back to normal. She was still worried about the other girls. The CIB agents had gone down a long list of names of those who had gone missing. While she could confirm nine names, it was only nine names out of at least twenty-five documented missing girls.

Sota had attached himself to Kagome since she had come home. He refused to let her out of his sight since he was worried she could collapse at any moment. He was trying to be a dependable brother, and Kagome adored him for it, but Kagome wanted some time alone.

Ever since she had regain consciousness, there was always _someone _around. She could understand their concern, but she needed time to sort out everything going on. While everyone else had seemed to move pass the ordeal since Kagome was safe and sound, they assumed that their only concern was keeping a sharp eye on her health just in case she needed medical attention.

Kagome had started taking very long baths because it was the only time she could manage to be alone. It was also around this time she began to notice some bodily changes. Her nails were thicker than they had been before and were growing much faster than they normally did. She had to file them down every single morning so she wouldn't accidentally scratch herself later. Her hair was also growing fast and she was going to need a haircut soon. While she didn't mind this because she had decided to grow her hair out a bit, her bangs were getting too long and bothersome.

Her mother had also commented that Kagome seemed to have grown a few inches, but this could have just been something that was just not noticed until after the traumatic experience.

Kagome knew something was really wrong with these new developments when she was brushing her hair. She had been brushing her hair like she did every day, only for some reason she kept scratching her ears with the brush bristles. She pushed her hair to the side so she could look at her ears only to find that they were pointed instead of rounded.

She stared at her ears for a long time in the mirror as her mind was trying to process what exactly she was looking at. She pinched the very tip of her pointed ear to see if maybe it was a hallucination. She felt the soft pinch and quickly moved her face closer to the mirror. Kagome's ears were pointed!

She jumped away from the mirror and began to pace in the small bathroom. Kagome was desperately trying to think of a rational explanation for her odd ears. She wasn't left with much time to ponder on this mystery as her mother began to call her to come down stairs for a visitor.

* * *

"Sota, why haven't you come to see me about the girl that was found in the warehouse?"

"Apologies, I was investigating it a bit more outside of the hospital. There was something strange about the case that I wanted to verify before presenting the information."

"Hn. This was a simple kidnapping case, was it not?"

"That is was I had assumed, but when you read the report, you may find it a bit more interesting."

Sota was one of the few lawyers that didn't get nervous around this man. This was generally why he was given tasks that meant he would have to interact with him fairly often. Usually the cases were things that he didn't want other lawyers involved in and this case had almost gone to someone else who wouldn't have noticed such an important detail.

The man sitting at the sleek modern desk quirked a brow at Sota. Sota placed a think folder atop the desk before the man before bowing and leaving.

"Higurashi, Kagome."

* * *

As Kagome came downstairs, she peeked over at the living room to see who exactly this visitor was. She had figured it would have been Inuyasha since she had been missing for so long. Kagome's mother had said Inuyasha had looked for days for Kagome before going back to the past to inform their friends of the issue. He hadn't returned since then.

While Kagome knew she shouldn't worry about things happening in the past right now as she had her own issues to deal with, she was concerned he hadn't even come back to check again. Her thoughts were going wild with worries about her friends in the feudal era.

"Ah, Miss Higurashi, I am glad to see you so well," Dr Fujikata greeted.

Kagome bowed her head towards him before sitting down across from him. Fumiko came into the living soon after with a tray of snacks and cups of tea. Kagome looked curiously at the doctor wondering why he was visiting her at home.

"Based on your expression, you're curious why I'm here. Well, do you remember the blood sample we took soon after you awoke? We had taken samples earlier as well when you were admitted to the hospital. My, I'm not sure how to explain this, so perhaps as simply as possible. After studying the samples, I noticed something peculiar. The cells began to slowly change some of their characteristics."

"What do you mean Dr. Fujikata?" Fumiko asked.

"Ahem, it's complicated. Her cells were normal human cells when the samples – both samples – were taken. However they've changed to something similar to human cells, but are not exactly the same. I came here wondering if maybe you've felt a bit different these past few days. It could be that something contaminated the samples, but I wanted to speak with you first on the matter."

Kagome's mind was racing. This only verified the changes she had noticed. Her mind was working fast in trying to make a quick decision. If she verified these changes, would she have to return to the hospital or just give more blood samples to see if it was contamination? If it wasn't contamination and she did go back to the hospital, wouldn't she be just like a subject of an experiment again?

"I'm not sure what you mean by changes. My hair and nails are much healthier if that is what you mean, but other than that I've not noticed anything."

"What about your complaints of being overly sensitive to sights, smells, and sounds?"

"They've gone back to normal just as you said they would once I returned home and felt more secure."

She was lying through her teeth. Her senses had only increased since leaving the hospital and now this. It might be a bad idea to lie about the matter since she didn't have a clue what these changes meant, but she didn't want to be shoved back into a small room at the mercy of people who also apparently don't currently understand her situation.

"I see. Thank you for your time. I'm glad you are feeling better. Please be sure to get plenty of rest."

Fumiko escorted Dr. Fujikata out of the house and Kagome quickly rushed to her room. Sota had gone back to school and her grandfather was probably taking a nap in his room. She needed to leave and the only place where she couldn't be found was in the past with Inuyasha and the others.

She wasn't no time in packing her yellow backpack with clothes and food for her trip. Seeing Inuyasha would be a good distraction since he wouldn't treat her as delicately as everyone else around her been.

She made a mad dash for the well, running past everything without even a glance. Her goal was simple, go down the well, pop up in the feudal era, and try to work out these changes without all these people having an interest in it as well.

She expertly leapt over the lip of the well as she had done many times before, only somehow she had overshot it and landed on the other side. Kagome paid no mind before sitting on the ledge and jumping into the well.

She crashed into the bottom of the well. There was no mystical blue light. There was absolutely no reaction to her presence at all.

"Are you joking with me?!" Kagome screamed in frustration.

"Still as strange as always, Miko."

* * *

Thanks for reading! Please look forward to more updates!

How many of you went, "Kyyyaa" at the end? Leave a review and let me know!


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N**: Excuse the grammatical and spelling errors. If something is terribly wrong with a sentence, simply send me a note/message and I will try and resolve the issue.

All characters from the series Inuyasha are © their respected owners.

Do not repost this fanfiction.

I also greatly appreciate reviews!

**Important Note**: This is a completely new take on my very old fanfiction of the same name. As such there are going to be some major differences from the original version.

Please remember that this doesn't follow Final Act.

* * *

**▌Chapter Five**

Kagome's body involuntarily froze. As a human who had been living in the modern era, she hadn't met a single demon beyond a few, which was mostly due to circumstances with the jewel shards reviving artifacts. The deep voice was very familiar as she had heard it a few times back in the feudal era.

It was Lord Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha's older half-brother.

While Sesshoumaru wasn't exactly an enemy, he also wasn't exactly a friend. He was simply tolerant around Kagome and the others. He had helped play a role in Naraku's demise and rarely did they encounter him after that event. He mostly only visited for Rin's sake since the girl was very attached to him. Sesshoumaru had a certain amount of tolerance and adoration for Rin.

"Miko, I have limited time. Ascend the well."

It was a clear order. Sesshoumaru hadn't seemed to change in the five hundred and some odd years. At this moment Kagome didn't know what she should be more concerned about. On one hand, she couldn't get the well to work. On the other hand, Lord Sesshoumaru was demanding she speak to him.

Kagome sighed loudly and pulled herself out of the well reluctantly. Unless the well suddenly swallowed her up and spat her back out in the past, she was stuck with greeting the modern era Lord Sesshoumaru.

Kagome tossed her ugly yellow backpack – which had been through so much that it was now more a grungy yellow – over the lip of the well before getting out herself. She averted her gaze from directly looking at Sesshoumaru since this was a very awkward situation.

She could see him out of her corner of her eyes. He didn't clear his throat like a normal person would in order to gain someone's attention. He stood there silently and stared at Kagome. Eventually her eyes wandered over to glance at him. He didn't appear the same as his feudal self.

Gone were the long locks of platinum white hair and amber eyes. His hair was now short and black and his eyes a light brown. If it hadn't been for his voice and words, Kagome would have surely not recognized him. He was dressed in a black suit with black shirt and a dark red tie. As she looked him over she also noticed his ears were not pointed but instead rounded.

"As always, you're expression gives you away, Miko."

"W-What are you doing here, Lord Sesshoumaru?"

Kagome had struggled getting the question past her lips. She was still astonished that the man before was indeed the feared might Lord of the Western Lands. Even after a five hundred jump in time, he still looked as young as he had in the feudal era.

"You're arm!"

It had taken a moment for her to notice since even when he had been lacking the limb previously, he had never been really hindered by it. It would have been logical to assume it might be a prosthetic limb, but when he had removed his hands from his pockets it was obviously his real arm.

"I've no time for your questions. I am here as I swore to Inuyasha I would seek you out as you never returned to the past."

"The well isn't working properly."

"There is no need to state the obvious as I did witness it failing. I owe Inuyasha a favor and that favor was to ensure you had no perished in your time. An obvious waste of a favor, but no matter."

"I'm just getting more confused now. You've seen that I'm fine, so how was his favor wasted?"

"Inuyasha is deceased and has been for over three hundred years. He insisted you were smarter than you seemed, he was wrong in this belief apparently."

"Did you come from the past so that you could check for him? Could I get sent back to the feudal era that way?"

Sesshoumaru stared at Kagome silently for a long moment before speaking again.

"I am not the person of the past. I am my present self."

The moment Kagome realized what Sesshoumaru meant by a wasted favor her eyes began to water. The tears didn't spill as she closed her eyes to contain the tears. Inuyasha was dead. Sesshoumaru had promised to the Inuyasha of the past that she was alive. If this Sesshoumaru is the one from the present, then Inuyasha was left not knowing till the day he died.

"I understand now. So, you've kept your promise, even though you can't tell Inuyasha."

"This was not my only motive for seeking you out. I had planned a time to meet with you in this era based upon the time of Inuyasha's request. However, you had been reported as missing when the scheduled time arrived. During my search it was reported to me that one of my warehouses that had been rented out had been leased by a certain individual of interest to the Criminal Investigation Bureau."

"You owned that warehouse?! You were renting it out to that maniac?!"

Kagome's body trembled in anger. He owned the warehouse that she and those girls had been caged in and experimented on. Sesshoumaru didn't show any sort of remorse as he mentioned this to her.

"Yes, I own that warehouse and yes it was being rented out to the man they believe is responsible for the disappearances."

"Then that means that Sota guy was you're lawyer?! Why wasn't it you at the hospital then?"

"I assigned Sota to the task and he delayed his report upon finding some new information regarding you."

Kagome threw her hands up on frustration.

"You find out that some mad scientist has kidnapped girls and held them hostage in your warehouse and you have your lawyer deal with it all? If I owned that warehouse I would have been involved the moment I heard about it!"

"It is not an important point that I am the owner. The important point at this moment is what that human has done."

"Glad you at least agree that the kidnapping was bad."

"I do not care about girls disappearing. Humans vanish every day. However, a human changing into demon isn't natural."

"What does that have to do with any of this?"

Sesshoumaru ignored her question as his cellphone in his pocket rang. He simply accepted the call before hanging up without a word. He didn't say goodbye to Kagome, he just simply turned to walk away.

Kagome would have stormed after him demanding he explain what he meant, but she didn't see a point in doing so. He was like this in the past and apparently was the same in the present. His appearance may have changed but his personality didn't seem different.

Once she was alone, Kagome attempted to return to the feudal era through the well. She tried over and over again with the same failed results. She would have continued trying if her grandfather hadn't decided to come to give her some strange medical device to 'help' her recover.

Kagome reluctantly went back to her room with her old backpack in tow and a useless medical quack device to add to her already strange collection. Kagome kept replaying her conversation with Sesshoumaru in her mind trying to see if there was anything she had maybe missed. She did sometimes have a bit of a temper which led to her overlooking a few things in her life.

"A human changing into a demon isn't natural. Why would he say that?"

Kagome's brows furrowed as she pondered on the last thing he had said. It didn't match with the rest of their conversation. Kagome ran her hands through her long hair to push her bangs out of her eyes.

These thoughts plagued her throughout dinner and as she bathed. Her family asked her many times if she felt alright since she had only spoke when asked something directly. Kagome was so focused that she didn't hear her bother ask her a very important question.

It wasn't until Kagome was brushing her wet hair that the question snapped into the forefront of her thoughts. Her eyes weren't a dark brown, they were a bright blue. At dinner, Sota had asked her when she had started to wear colored contacts. She had never worn contacts and was not wearing any currently.

Kagome dropped her hair brush to the floor where it clattered noisily.

"No way."

* * *

Thanks for reading! Please look forward to more updates!

**IMPORTANT: **I have started mid-terms and will be severely delayed in updating! Thank you for your patience and support!


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N**: Excuse the grammatical and spelling errors. If something is terribly wrong with a sentence, simply send me a note/message and I will try and resolve the issue.

All characters from the series Inuyasha are © their respected owners.

Do not repost this fanfiction.

I also greatly appreciate reviews!

**Important Note**: This is a completely new take on my very old fanfiction of the same name. As such there are going to be some major differences from the original version.

* * *

▌**Chapter Six**

Kagome had spent days after her encounter with Sesshoumaru replaying his words in her mind over and over again. He hadn't said she was a demon but rather implied. Unfortunately no one besides Sesshoumaru could affirm this since she was cut off from the feudal era still.

There was also the new issue of the media catching wind of the story about Kagome. They were constantly pestering everyone who had a connection to her. They stationed themselves outside of their property waiting for her to come outside and speak with them. Kagome's mother couldn't leave the house and her brother Sota was stuck at home because the school didn't like the disruption caused by the media.

The whole situation felt like Kagome was under house arrest since she didn't want to even leave since she would just be harassed. Mr. Sasaski, their lawyer, was trying his best to avert the media's attention and clearly stated many times that there would be no interviews.

Kagome's bangs were completely grown out now and her mother had helped cut her hair since it had grown ridiculously long. It was odd that her hair didn't seem to be growing as crazily as it had been earlier, though she still had to file her nails every morning. She lied to her family about wearing contacts since she still had bright blue eyes. Her hair helped hide her ears, for now.

It was during this media frenzy that Sota, Sesshoumaru's lawyer, came to visit. Kagome wanted to ask him some questions, but he seemed to always make sure she never had the chance to do so. He was having a private discussion with Akio Sasaski with his carefree expression while Akio was heatedly arguing with him.

This went on for a couple of hours before they both approached the family. Akio still looked upset but had in the end agreed to whatever Sota had brought up. Since Sota worked for Sesshoumaru, Kagome wasn't sure whatever was about to be announced wasn't in her best interest, but Sesshoumaru's.

"Well then, since we are all here and Mr. Sasaski has finally seen the light of reason, I can speak to you about my employer's offer," Sota began.

"He has offered to house Kagome in a secure apartment where the media will be unable to locate her whereabouts. He wishes to compensate the family with this offer as well as any other reasonable demands as it was his warehouse that Kagome had been held captive in. You will be able to stay in contact with Kagome so that your minds can be at ease that she is safe."

Kagome's mouth snapped open to reject this offer, but her mother spoke first.

"Why can't Kagome just remain home? I'm sure the media will give up eventually. We don't even know who your employer is beyond his company name. How could we trust a stranger with Kagome's well-being?"

"I assure you that Kagome will be safest at this location. We are unsure who is involved with the case and the media is only announcing where she is, which makes her staying here very dangerous. I'm sure Mr. Sasaki agrees with this point," Sota replied.

"He is correct. While we may have a few of those involved in custody, evidence suggests there is someone very powerful behind this," Akio confirmed.

"Fine, so I'm not safe at home, but I sure as hell am not going to some apartment to be locked away!"

Akio sighed after Kagome's outburst. Sota simply shrugged as though her objection didn't matter. Kagome didn't know what Sesshoumaru had in mind by shutting her away in some 'secure apartment.' Kagome looked towards her mother in hopes of having her support since she had also seemed to be against. Fumiko looked back at her daughter and sighed unhappily.

"Kagome, I won't force you to accept their offer, but they are right. Our shrine is easily accessed and with the media causing such a fuss, I'm worried for you. However," Fumiko added, staring at Sota, "I will go with her to this apartment to make sure she will actually be safe."

"Why, of course. However, after you find the apartment to your satisfaction, you will only be able to contact her through a secure phone line since your movements could be watched. I'll go inform my employer of the news," Sota announced.

Fumiko reached over to Kagome to squeeze her hand in reassurance. Kagome was still obviously unhappy, but if she accepted this, then she could demand something from Sesshoumaru in return since he had _requested_ her to leave home. As far as Kagome was concerned he now owed her a favor.

That night, around three am, Kagome and her mother were led into a black car with black tinted windows that wouldn't allow anyone to see inside. There were a few other cars that looked identical, right down to the license plates – which Kagome was certain was illegal – that apparently had lookalikes entering in them. This was to confuse any media, or any dangerous persons from knowing which car they were actually in.

Once all the cars held their passengers, they slowly headed to their predetermined destinations. Kagome had been told the drivers had been each given an apartment location to drive to, but that none, not even the one where Kagome and her mother were taken to, were the ones where she would be hiding.

Kagome nervously bounced her knee as they drove through the city where it seemed the driver was taking random streets. Kagome kept looking at her watch every few minutes which made the drive feel much longer than it actually was.

When the car finally pulled into the parking garage of an apartment complex, the driver stepped out and went to open the door for them. They had been directed to enter the apartment complex to make it seem as this was where they would be staying. However, once they entered, they were met by Sota, who was still wearing his casual smile.

"Right on time. You will need to change into these and wear these wigs. You will be leaving through a different exit and another car will be waiting to drive you to the real location."

Sota handed them both white bags filled with an assortment of clothes and wigs for them to change into. They quickly changed and handed the bags back to him once they were done and followed his directions.

This car was more luxurious than the one they had previously been in. The driver offered them snacks and beverages, though neither of them ate. By the time they finally arrived at the apartment complex, it was already five in the morning. Kagome's mother was visibly tired, but Kagome was sure she was feeling too anxious to feel exhausted.

Kagome hadn't had a chance to see what the complex looked like since they had entered the underground parking garage when she realized they had reached their destination. The car stopped right at the fancy elevator that would lead up to the apartments. Sota had apparently beaten them to the apartment complex, which probably meant there had been some unnecessary turns during their drive.

"Your things will be brought up by the driver once the car is parked. Please follow me and I'll escort you ladies to the apartment."

Sota slid a card through a card reader on the side of the elevator. It chimed as the doors opened and they all entered. There wasn't any elevator music playing, which Kagome was thankful for. Sota motioned for Kagome to press her thumb against a glass panel - with a circuit board backing - where the floor numbers should have been. She did as directed as she was curious how they were to reach the apartment if they couldn't select the floor.

Once her thumb came into contact with the glass, a stream of light slid across and scanned her thumb, ending the event with a small robotic chirp before the elevator smoothly began its ascent.

"The only way anyone can access an apartment in this building is through print identification of those who either reside or are given access by a resident."

"What about that card you used to open the elevator doors? Do I get one of those?"

"Unfortunately you do not. There is some concern that you may use the card to leave the apartment building. You are free to use the amenities of the complex, but you cannot leave without a security escort."

"Gee, can't wait to see what my prison looks like," Kagome muttered sarcastically under her breath.

When they reached the floor of the apartment, the elevator doors slid open to reveal a brightly lit foyer. It was a mixture of modern and industrial interior design. The floor was a polished concrete and the wall was clean and simply white with odd metal 'paintings' on them.

There was a single thick metal door with the number twenty-one carved out of dark wood. There was another glass panel next to the apartment door and Kagome pressed her thumb against it. There was a small clicking sound as the door unlocked and opened to allow them to enter.

Sota's gentleman side appeared then as he held the door open and extended his arm for them to enter. Kagome was impressed as was her mother. The apartment was huge and had a wonderful view of the city through its floor to ceiling windows. Kagome tried to keep her face impassive so that her awe of the apartment wouldn't be exposed.

The furnishing and design of the interior of the apartment matched the foyer. Kagome and Fumiko were given a quick tour of the entire apartment, well, almost the entire apartment. Sota lead them back to the large living room where all three of them sat down.

"Well, it is a very nice apartment, but I do have some questions. Are there any security guards? I just don't feel comfortable if there isn't someone actively protecting her," Fumiko commented.

"Oh yes, there are guards on the main floor lobby and the parking garage. They also do rounds every few minutes, so if someone suspicious is reported or found in the building, they react very quickly and efficiently."

Fumiko looked to Kagome with a soft smile and Sota grinned after having sold Kagome's mother on the idea of the apartment. Kagome and Fumiko said their farewells to each other, leaving Kagome and Sota alone, at least for a moment.

A door within the apartment opened and closed and light footsteps announced a stranger was approaching the living room. Kagome twirled around only to see Sesshoumaru was that stranger.

* * *

Thanks for reading! Please look forward to more updates!

**Reviews are appreciated!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N**: Excuse the grammatical and spelling errors. If something is terribly wrong with a sentence, simply send me a note/message and I will try and resolve the issue.

All characters from the series Inuyasha are © their respected owners.

Do not repost this fanfiction.

I greatly appreciate reviews!

**This is a special Birthday post edition (it's actually my birthday today!)**

* * *

▌**Chapter Seven**

Kagome shouldn't have been shocked at Sesshoumaru's presence; this was his arrangement after all. However, she was slightly panicked at his sudden appearance. Sota casually flopped down onto the stark white couch with a wide grin.

"Maybe I should have gone into real estate," he joked.

Sesshoumaru ignored Sota as he approached Kagome. Kagome instinctively moved a few steps back to maintain a certain distance between them. They hadn't been on the best of terms even after Naraku's defeat. They tolerated each other's presence in the feudal era and he seemed to not have a magical attitude change over the past five hundred years or so.

"What are you doing here?" Kagome asked stiffly.

"This apartment is my property, it is natural I should reside here. You are simply a guest until several issues you are involved in are resolved."

"Such as me going from your average modern human to a demon?"

"That is one issue."

"How many issues are we talking about here exactly? I don't want to have to spend an extended period of time locked in an apartment with you. You probably want me gone as much as I want to leave."

Kagome crossed her arms over her chest defensively as she stared at Sesshoumaru. Her expression showed her displeasure clearly. She would have to learn how far she could push him before he pushed back.

Sesshoumaru walked past her to sit across from Sota, completely dismissing her as he began to speak to the cocky lawyer. Kagome glared at Sesshoumaru's back as he had walked by her. She refused to sit with them and instead paced impatiently.

"Most of the reporter's at the shrine followed after all the cars. Only a few of the false locations have been discovered, so they are still trying to find out where she is, though a few are still intently observing the shrine. Mr. Sasaki has already released a statement regarding her disappearing act. It will probably take some time before they stop stalking around for her," Sota said to Sesshoumaru.

"Dear Kagome, you really need to settle down. Pacing and pouting isn't doing anything for your case," Sota said as he motioned for her to sit down next to him by patting his hand on the couch.

"Oh, I'm _sorry_; you're paying attention to the person who is annoyingly being discussed without any consideration about how _she_ feels on the subject?"

Kagome stopped her pacing, though her arms remained crossed over her chest.

"Your feelings are irrelevant. Emotions will not help your situation, so do not expect them to be considered. You are simply something that has a use in an investigation," Sesshoumaru stated clooly.

Kagome's arms snapped to her sides and her body trembled with anger. Her hands clenched into white-knuckled fists and her nails pierced the flesh of her palms. The scene didn't cause either Sota nor Sesshoumaru to react. Sota looked back and forth at Sesshoumaru and Kagome with his trademark smirk. Sesshoumaru eyes never turned to look at her as she spoke.

"I know the world doesn't revolve me, but my life isn't any less important than yours! If you had become a human, I'm sure you'd be freaking out yourself! To you, I may just be some small fragment in your larger schemes, but I am still a living person who has been kidnapped and experimented on! I had to watch other girls for weeks suffer as well! Don't treat my issues as something frivolous!"

Sesshoumaru's amber eyes slid to look at Kagome, though his face remained in the same position. They lingered there for only a moment before moving to stare off at whatever had his attention earlier.

"It seems we cannot have a calm discussion here," he stated before standing and leaving the room.

Sota followed after Sesshoumaru to leave the apartment and essentially leaving Kagome completely alone in the apartment. Naturally she had tried to follow them, but she had no idea where they went after the elevator doors shut. Her thumbprint wasn't being accepted so she was stuck in the apartment.

Sesshoumaru and Sota had left the apartment and headed to Sesshoumaru's office building that he owned. Most of the floors of the building were rented out to other companies, but the top ten floors and the secret basement level floors were completely staffed by Sesshoumaru's employees.

As they entered his office in the basement level, Sota's demeanor changed slightly as Sesshoumaru sat at his desk. This wasn't the public office Sesshoumaru's company was operated under. This was a different company all together, one completely dedicated as a demon "company." Sesshoumaru was still a Lord in his own right and that hadn't changed even as the numbers of humans massively grew over the demons.

"You could tell her you know. She's the only one recovered after all this time and after we had spent so much time waiting after the set up. She might be more useful than you think," Sota commented respectfully.

"They were careful which means they may have known about our intentions. You are to investigate all personnel involved to see who is selling the information to them. The laboratory also needs to begin taking samples from her so we might understand how they are turning humans into demons."

"So, what if we can change her back to being human?"

"Until she is no longer useful in understanding who is behind Yami Kuro Company she will remain in our custody. They will be looking for their lost product and this is the most direct way to find them since we only captured the foolish thugs working under the scientist."

Sota sighed, obviously unhappy with the answer but not daring to voice his opinion on the matter. Sesshoumaru was correct. Someone had screwed up their plans to lure out the Yami Kuro Company. They had not anticipated the police to actually find the missing girls more quickly than them. They had also been strangely prepared to be discovered. All the time they had spent trying to make a fake partnership with the Yami Kuro Company all crumbled so easily. They had the equipment that had been abandoned in the warehouse, but most of it had been badly damaged due to the ill-equipped police blindly trying to capture the culprits.

"Well, I'll start the process then. Though maybe we should give her at least a few days to adjust to her new environment first before introducing needles and people in laboratory coats. She's still very unstable mentality," Sota commented as he moved to leave the office.

* * *

**So, what do you guys think so far? Do you think Kagome will return to being a human?**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N**: Excuse the grammatical and spelling errors. If something is terribly wrong with a sentence, simply send me a note/message and I will try and resolve the issue.

All characters from the series Inuyasha are © their respected owners.

Do not repost this fanfiction.

I also greatly appreciate reviews!

**Important Note**: This is a completely new take on my very old fanfiction of the same name. As such there are going to be some major differences from the original version.

* * *

▌**Chapter Eight**

Kagome had been left to fume on her own for a few days. Sesshoumaru hadn't returned to the apartment for the last three days and Sota visited once a day to check on her. The only other visitors to the apartment were the housekeeper who also prepared the meals. Kagome had attempted to make her own meals and even assist the housekeeper, but the results were the same and she was kept out of the kitchen.

The fourth day, Sota didn't enter the apartment alone. There were two women who followed him in to the apartment. The women seemed normal enough and looked over Kagome curiously.

"Ah, Kagome, let me introduce Arisu and Bunko. They are here to take a few biological samples from you. The samples may help us understand how to reverse your situation."

Arisu was a tall slender woman that could have easily been a model. Bunko was also a fairly attractive woman, but seemed slightly more homely than Arisu. Their personalities were the complete opposite of their appearances. Arisu was bubbly when speaking to Kagome while Bunko was borderline rude.

Kagome was led off to the large bathroom suite connected to the guest room where she was residing by Sota, with Arisu and Bunko following behind. Sota left without setting foot into the bathroom but did wiggle his eyebrows suggestively at Kagome.

"You'll need to strip off all your clothing for us. We need to take your body measurements to compare them to your previously medical records to make note of any physical changes. We're also going to pluck out a few strands of hair and take some blood samples," Arisu explain cheerfully as she put on latex gloves.

For the next two hours Bunko and Arisu poked and proded Kagome's body. The body measurements weren't terribly uncomfortable, but standing in front of them in the nude made her embarrassed. They took a few vials of her blood and a few strands of her hair. They also inspected her mouth, ears, and eyes.

"Well, everything appears normal. Well, normal for, you know, for… well your situation," Arisu rambled.

"Stop babbling already, we're already running behind schedule," Bunko irritably commented.

They both left the apartment quickly with all their recording information and samples. Kagome quickly put her clothes back on and went back to the living room to find Sota sitting on the couch playing with his smart phone.

"I trust they didn't molest you too badly. They are the best at what they do and should be able to reveal a wealth of information in a short amount of time. I can't make any guarantees about what the results will say, but at least we'll know more with what we are dealing with."

"Do you promise to tell me the results? I have a feeling that Sesshoumaru might not want me to know anything about, well, anything."

"Sesshoumaru has his reasons. If you really do know him from the past, surely you must know that much about him."

Kagome sighed and sat next to Sota so that she could peek at what he was doing on his phone. It was some silly game dealing with matching various kinds of candies. Kagome didn't have much use for a cell phone in the feudal era and she hadn't been allowed to bring the one she had with her since there was a chance it could be tracked by GPS.

"You said I would have access to the other floors of the building, but I've been stuck here for a few days now and I can't get the elevator to work."

"Ah, yes, that. You should have no problems with that tomorrow. Sesshoumaru wanted to make sure you couldn't run off and hide before the lab could take samples from you. You may even be allowed outside, though it'll probably only to be taken to the lab since it's not very economical or practical to bring lab equipment here."

"Where is the might Lord Sesshoumaru?" Kagome asked sarcastically.

"He's been staying at one of his other properties. But don't get your hopes up of staying here all by yourself for the rest of your stay. This is his apartment after all."

Kagome crossed her legs and continued to watch him play the game and fail. Sota offered her his phone and she attempted to play it herself only to fail as well. It was nice to be distracted by something so simple. However, the distraction felt short lived as Sesshoumaru entered the apartment.

Sota took his phone back from Kagome and stood to greet Sesshoumaru respectfully. Kagome crossed her arms over her chest and glared at Seshoumaru with her blue eyes. They had started off as a dark blue and since then have only grown lighter in color.

"They took the samples today and should already be back at the lab working on them," Sota informed Sesshoumaru, who was taking off his suit jacket.

"You may leave."

Sota turned to give Kagome a small wink before exiting the apartment. So now Kagome was left to deal with Sesshoumaru entirely by herself. She wasn't sure what she wanted to say to him now that he had finally returned. She could express her anger, or ask him what he had been doing all this time. Instead, she opted to simply stare at him. She was still trying to figure out why he appeared human. He had also an arm where Inuyasha had original severed it.

"So, tell me, how _did_ you get your arm back?"

It wasn't her best conversation starter.

Sesshoumaru turned to look at Kagome, casually moving the arm that had once been chopped off completely. He didn't say anything for a long moment as though he expected her to know the answer was quite obvious. Eventually he answered her.

"Before Inuyasha died, he had another black pearl forged. He original had it done in hopes of creating a new gateway to your world. However, before it could be attempted, he died. The pearl came into my possession and I used it to return to our father's grave and retrieved my arm."

"You keep saying Inuyasha died, but you haven't said how. Was he killed by someone? I know he wouldn't have aged the same way as you since he was a hanyou, buthe could have lived to see the modern era, couldn't he?"

Sesshoumaru paused for a moment, turning to look away from Kagome and out the large windows of the apartment as the sun set over the city. Kagome followed his gaze and admired the view. The sunset was beautiful and full of color, oranges, pinks, purples, yellows. The clouds reflected the colors and made Kagome feel a moment of serenity.

"Surely you have wondered why there appear to be no demons in this era," Sesshoumaru commented.

"Well, yeah, a few times. I thought maybe they had become extinct or maybe hid away. Inuyasha never found a modern demon, but that could have easily been due to the smog."

"Both of your theories have some validity. Inuyasha died of a plague that had nearly caused the extinction of demons."

Shock crossed over Kagome's face. Inuyasha had always made a big deal about how demons never got sick from things like colds or plagues. So to have Sesshoumaru say a plague was what resulted in Inuyasha's death was hard to take. She couldn't imagine him sick – wounded, yes - but not sick. Even after all the times he had come to near death or lost control of himself, he had always struggled through and survived. Tears streamed down Kagome's cheeks. She hadn't really believed Inuyasha was dead until this moment. Even though Sesshoumaru seemed completely apathetic, there seemed to be something deeper that his eyes were expressing.

"B-But, demons can't get can't get sick! I've been told this so many times," Kagome argued, clearly trying to deny the possibility. While she knew Sesshoumaru had no reason to lie, she couldn't accept that Inuyasha died in such a way.

"We cannot become ill from human borne sicknesses. This was nothing _human_. Biologically, it was only a matter of time for something like this to occur. We are so long-lived that our own evolution is stunted when compared to that of humans. Our immune systems were not efficient in fighting off the plague. The hanyous were more equipped to survive because of their mixed parentage. However, because of the strength of our father's blood, Inuyasha did not survive."

"What about you? You're still here alive and you're a full-blooded demon!"

"I survived the plague, even after being infected myself as I went to listen to my brother's dying wishes. I am not as weak as you hope me to be, girl."

Kagome wiped her eyes with the back of her hands harshly as she stared hard at Sesshoumaru. She wanted to hate him. She wanted to blame him.

"If you knew about the well and my time traveling, then couldn't you have created a vaccine and had me go back in time to save him!?"

"There is a vaccine, but you are obviously no longer capable of returning to the past in your condition."

"But you had all that time to find me! You had over 300 years to find me and have me return to the past! Why did you only appear after I was kidnapped and held captive in _your _warehouse?!"

"The date of when the last time you had returned to the feudal era was when I had intended to seek you out in the future. If I appeared earlier than that, the outcome of actions of the past could have been affected negatively and was too unpredictable. The day I went to the shrine you had already gone missing."

It seemed that fate itself was working against Kagome's desire to save Inuyasha. She understood Sesshoumaru's point about interfering before she had officially never returned to the past. He could have totally prevented her from ever going to the past or depending on when he revealed himself, Naraku could have won against her friends.

Shippou, Sango, Miroku, and even Rin were also swimming around in her mind. What had happened to them? Sango, Miroku, and Rin were human, so they would have died much earlier than Inuyasha. Shippou was a demon, and he could have died to the plague as well. It was all too much to take in and process right now. Kagome mentally shut down.

* * *

I know this chapter is a bit depressing, but I do still hope you enjoyed it. I wrote this while listening to the music box version of Passion by Utada Hikaru. How do you feel about Inuyasha's death? Do you think Kagome still loves him?


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